Chapter 1: Star Dou Great Forest
White Tiger Dukes Mansion, the wood-chopping room in the servants' quarters.
Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged on a simple bed, meditating and Cultivating.
As the Origin Qi of heaven and earth was absorbed and converted into Soul Power, his Rank quietly reached Rank 10.
"Rank 10! Mother, I've finally reached Rank 10!"
His mother had once told him that if he wanted to get ahead in life, the only way was to become a Soul Master. Even a most ordinary Soul Master held a much higher status on the continent than commoners.
For five years, he had put in nearly three times the effort of his peers to Cultivate to Rank 10. He had no one to talk to about the bitterness and exhaustion he felt.
His mother, the only person who loved him, had also passed away a year ago.
There was no one to share his joy with at this moment; following that brief flash of happiness was the heavy weight of hatred and sorrow pressing down on his heart.
"I'll leave the Dukes Mansion tomorrow. One day, I will return! That vicious woman and her beast of a son will all kneel before your grave to atone for their sins!"
In a daze, it felt as if a string had snapped in Huo Yuhao's mind. Countless memories flooded in, and myriad images flowed into his brain like a revolving lantern.
He began to bleed from his seven orifices, and with a cry of pain, he collapsed onto the hay-covered bed.
After a long time, he finally climbed back up and calmly wiped the blood from his face.
His Martial Soul, the Spirit Eyes, possessed him of its own accord. Countless profound golden patterns spread from his eyes to his sockets, then across his entire body—to every corner, and even to his Soul.
His eyes became brighter, and his body grew slightly sturdier.
"Is this Transmigration, or is it wisdom from a past life?"
Huo Yuhao thought silently to himself.
He clearly remembered twenty years of life spent in a World of steel and neon.
Memory is the most important part of what makes a person.
Now, he felt more like the self from that life.
These life memories had remained sealed until his Soul Power reached Rank 10, his Spiritual Power was sufficient, and his body could withstand them.
What a bastard... Why hadn't he Cultivated to Rank 10 a year ago? If he had, he might have been able to save his mother's life.
In his past life, he had read a book on dog training.
Under the influence of the Spirit Eyes, every word and sentence was remembered with absolute clarity.
Knowing the plot, he would have done anything to save his mother!
My mother is dead; I no longer care about what's right or wrong.
Fetching some fresh water, he washed the blood from his face. Huo Yuhao slipped out through the north back door of the Dukes Mansion... In the early morning, at the laundry room in the servants' quarters, the laundry servants who had been washing clothes all morning were allowed a brief rest. They all drew water from the laundry room's vat to quench their thirst.
A middle-aged maid with a fleshy face gulped down several mouthfuls of water. She wiped her mouth, but as she turned, she saw several other maids twitching on the ground. Just as she was about to scream, her vision suddenly went dark, her head spun, and her ears rang. She collapsed to the floor, unable to utter a word.
Few people ever came to the laundry room... Carrying his bundle, Huo Yuhao stood up from his mother's grave and headed north without looking back.
Huo Yuner's Soul is likely already in the hands of Tang Shenwang by now; that would be the most powerful weapon to blackmail him with in the future.
The schemes against him had begun long ago, but he did not yet have the power to resist.
The poison in the laundry room was his doing.
His mother, Huo Yuner, had once taken him into the woods outside the Dukes Mansion to find fruit and wild vegetables. Huo Yuhao might have been too young to remember what was edible, but Huo Yuner had repeatedly emphasized what was highly toxic and absolutely must not be eaten.
After a busy night, he had placed all the collected poisons into the laundry room.
He didn't know if the dosage or toxicity was sufficient. If they died, consider it collecting interest; if not, they would just have to wait to be buried with the rest when he returned to raze the Dukes Mansion.
It wasn't that he didn't want to poison the Duchess or the entire Dukes Mansion. Firstly, he couldn't find a poison that worked on Soul Masters. Secondly, the Dukes Mansion was heavily guarded; only the servants' quarters were lax enough for Huo Yuhao, who was familiar with the laundry room, to plant the poison.
He was now heading to the Star Dou Great Forest. Huo Yuhao wasn't sure if he had a Cheat after his Reincarnation, so Electrolux, who was the kindest to him in the original story, was someone he absolutely could not do without.
Without Electrolux, Huo Yuhao wouldn't know how to resist this damned fate.
And what attracted this remnant Soul from another World was the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's sacrifice to him.
If Huo Yuhao didn't go to the Star Dou Great Forest, he wouldn't encounter the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. It was all interconnected.
He didn't know if missing a single step would cause him to miss Electrolux. Thus, he couldn't gamble; he could only follow the original plot for now... Atop a high tower in the White Tiger Dukes Mansion, two dark figures looked down upon the luxurious estate that spanned three thousand acres.
"Dai Hao's third son has left the Dukes Mansion. Should we bring him back? Our White Tiger Bloodline cannot be allowed to leak out."
"No need. He's just a concubine's son who failed to awaken the White Tiger Martial Soul."
"True. At worst, we can reclaim the Bloodline later. What about the servants that bastard poisoned?"
"What else can be done? Mere servants who dared to insult a White Tiger descendant should have been killed long ago. If it weren't for the Duchess, I would have personally slaughtered those wicked servants myself."
"It couldn't be helped. Xu Jiawei is wary of the White Tiger lineage, so we could only compromise."
"Hmph."
...Huo Yuhao traveled north the entire way, stepping onto the official road. Following a simple self-made map, he gnawed on dry rations and ate wild vegetables. His much stronger body allowed him to see a wooden sign by the roadside within four days.
"Entering the borders of the Star Dou Great Forest fifty miles ahead. Soul Beasts are present; prioritize your safety."
I've arrived!
A journey that took six days in the original story, he completed in four.
Over the past few days, Huo Yuhao also discovered that not only had his body grown stronger and his reaction speed faster, but his Martial Soul also seemed to have undergone significant changes. His originally deep blue eyes turned golden after his Martial Soul possessed him.
The original Spirit Eyes only had a faint golden glow.
When he saw his golden eyes in the stream, he wondered if he had misseen them, or if this was his Cheat.
For several days, he researched his altered Spirit Eyes while traveling, but he didn't make any major discoveries.
He already held the white tiger dagger in his hand, not daring to relax for even a second.
You only have one life; you can never be too careful.
In the original story, there was a Wind Baboon that almost killed a god. If its innate Soul skills hadn't happened to be reflected by the Rank 5 spirit tool, the white tiger dagger, it might have succeeded.
Moving along the woods, the Spirit Eyes gave him excellent vision; even though the forest was dense and dark, he could see everything clearly.
After an unknown amount of time, Huo Yuhao noticed a slight movement in a bush.
Silently tightening his grip on the white tiger dagger, he walked forward slowly.
He channeled Soul Power into his Spirit Eyes, causing his eyes to abruptly turn golden.
After just a few steps, a dark shadow suddenly lunged out from the bushes.
Huo Yuhao saw its appearance clearly: it was a baboon that looked much like the monkeys from Mount Emei in his past life, only much sturdier and with a ferocious expression.
The Wind Baboon kicked off with its hind legs and pounced at him like a vicious dog going for its prey.
A pair of clawed hands lunged straight for his face.
Having long been mentally prepared, Huo Yuhao gripped the white tiger dagger and slashed down fiercely.
He had tested the sharpness of the white tiger dagger. After all, it was a Rank 5 spirit tool; at least for now, Huo Yuhao hadn't encountered anything it couldn't cut through.
Slash!
Accompanied by a cry of pain from the Wind Baboon, the sharp blade of the white tiger dagger sliced off its hand.
It turned tail and fled, not understanding why its hand had suddenly vanished.